sohaap



(NS M50181.

"A. K. SOHAAP.

MASK FOR BASE BALL CATGHERS.

No. 287,331 IStented Oct. 28, 1883.

INVENTOR:

ATTORNEYS.

WITNESSES:

N. PETERS. hmm-Lnnu m lm. Wasllinglan. n. C.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER K. SOHAAP, RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

MASK FOR BASE-BALL CATCH ERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N02 287,331, dated October 23, 1883.

Application filed August 18, 1883. No model.)

2'?) mil whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER KING SOHAAP, of Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Masks for BaseBall Catchers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming part of this specification.

.This invention relates to masks for protecting the faces of base-ball catchers; and the invention consists of the novel construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front View of the mask, and Fig. 2 is a detail View.

It is common to form a base-ball catchers mask in one piece, consisting of a cushioned frame having a net-work of wires for covering the face, and a strap for securing it to the head. Such a mask gives the protection required; but in case of what is technically knownas a tip-foul ball, which requires the catcher to look upward, the net-work of wires obstruct the vision and interferes with the catching of the ball. In such case it is customary to throw off the mask for the time,

and during this operation. of removing the mask from the face the eye often loses sight of the ball, and the catcher is thereby placed at a disadvantage. I overcome these objections by forming the cushioned frame and the network of wires in two distinct parts, which are hinged together at one side and provided with a spring-catch for holding the net-work in closed position, and a spring for forcing the same open when the catch is released. By simply pressing a button attached to the catch, the net-work willopen to one side automatically without'necessitating any change of the position of the head or direction of the eye, which is left free to follow the movement of the ball.

spring, and so long as this result is acconiplished the particiilar form and arrangement of the latter are immaterial. The catch E, which is located preferably at the right side of the mask, consists of a plate, d, loosely secured to the frame A, and having a lip, e, which engages with the wires of the net-work. To the plate (I 'is attached a button, 6, 0n the shank f of which is arranged a spiral spring, 9, bearing against the button and a slotted plate, h, in which the shank f is adapted to work. Any other spring-catch which may be conveniently operated by a touch of the hand will serve my purpose equally as well, and I therefore do not wish to confine myself to the construction above described, the essential feature of my invention being the combination, with the frame, of the net-Work adapted to be sprung open by releasing a catch.

What I claim is The combination, with a supporting-frame, of the net-work formed in a distinct piece and hinged to the frame, a springcatch for holding the net-work in a closed position, and a spring for forcing the same open when the catch is released, substantially as shown and described.

ALEXANDER K. SOI-IAAP.

Witnesses:

A. G. LYNE, SoLoN O. KEMON. 

